DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 04/18/2007 Duedate: 05/01/2007 IAYE ARENA DM-30 TURN-547 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS LADY HUNTSMAN LENPROS (145) (30-4579) [25-9-0,127] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader LADY HUNTSMAN MODBLYE LENPROS (145) RAGGED EDGE (454) (30-4579) [25-9-0,127] (30-4700) [2-1-0,21] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite QUEEN CHINEE PRIVATE PERNA THE WARLOCKS (430) LENPROS (145) (30-4588) [23-16-1,115] (30-4690) [2-1-0,19] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM LENPROS (145) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. LENPROS (145) 36 2. WORLDLY DECLINE (445) 20 THE WARLOCKS (430) 3. RAGGED EDGE (454) 18 Unchartered Team 4. THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431) 15 5. GAMEHENDGE (299) 12 RAGGED EDGE (454) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*RAGGED EDGE (454) 6 3 0 66.7 1/ 2 LENPROS (145) 9 3 1 2/ 2 THE WARLOCKS (430) 146 88 8 62.4 2/ 1 RED DOG GANG (356) 8 7 0 3/ 3 LENPROS (145) 940 607 26 60.8 3/ 3 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) 6 3 1 4/ 4 RESCUE RANGERS II (385) 16 13 2 55.2 4/ 4*RAGGED EDGE (454) 6 3 0 5/ 5 THE A'S -- LOSERS (431) 182 159 6 53.4 5/ 6 THE A'S -- LOSERS (431) 4 5 0 6/ 6 GAMEHENDGE (299) 167 149 10 52.8 6/ 7 THE WARLOCKS (430) 3 0 0 7/ 7 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) 40 36 2 52.6 7/ 5 GAMEHENDGE (299) 3 4 0 8- 8 RANDOM (391) 30 32 0 48.4 8/ 9 RESCUE RANGERS II (385) 1 2 1 9- 9 CRYSTAL PALACE (435) 99 109 2 47.6 9- 8 CRYSTAL PALACE (435) 1 4 0 10/10 RED DOG GANG (356) 485 661 10 42.3 10-10 RANDOM (391) 0 3 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Cities by the Shore #14 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Between Point and Aruak City: Half the escort was across when Adie and Fandil rode at the broken bridge, and there had still been no sign of the Pale Fish that Tollisker was worried about. Just as well, Adie decided. If she had to fight a mutated fish, then she would do so, but she'd rather save her energies for fighting deliberate enemies. Khaldren. No, don't think about him now; when there are dangers afoot, distraction is as much an enemy as any monster. Think about the dangers here, in this time and place. Her horse's hooves hammered on the bridge stones, the muscles bunched, and she and the horse lifted forward and up together. She glanced down as they cleared the gap. A turbulent current, a swirl of something white, and they landed on the other side with a thump and moved on. Adie and Fandil both pulled up when they were clear of the bridge, turning to look back. The rest of Jerrofil's men were advancing on the broken span, clearing it, and coming on. "Seems an anticlimax not to have a fight there, doesn't it?" Fandil said. "Don't say that!" One of the guards who had drawn up beside them made the gesture to avert the Evil Eye and other misfortunes. "The chance for THAT misfortune has passed," Adie said. She glanced at Tollisker, who was the last to cross and come up to where the two magicians waited. "Has it not?" "Yes," the young captain agreed. "The Pale Fish may be a distortion of nature, but it is still a true fish and cannot leave the water." He looked ahead, where the hillside was hidden by brush and young trees. "And we will hope to pass by other dangers as easily." He did not sound like a man who was counting on that good fortune. He glanced up at the sky. "We have three hours yet before sunset. Let us make haste and cover distance while we can." Adie repeated his look at the sun. Three hours or a little more of sunlight, but it was difficult to accept that it wouldn't be safe to ride across the Clanholds by twilight and dark. Then she shook her head. No, this Tollisker was a responsible man, anyone could see that, Lord Jerrofil trusted him, and if he believed it unsafe, most likely it was. Her fingers tingled, reminding her of the sunlight she'd gathered as a weapon and not expended. That was dangerous; it had to be released, but in a controlled fashion. She began to unwind the ball of light, allowing it to ooze outward as they rode away from the little river and up the hill. Fandil saw Adie relax as they moved away from the little stream. He wished he could relax himself, but he had a feeling.... He sighed. Too vague to pinpoint. How do you prepare a spell against an uneasy feeling? It had no form and no direction. He studied the road and the brush beside it, the sky, the men in their escort. Nothing stood out, nothing signaled danger. But there was danger somewhere. He could almost taste it, a metallic tang like blood.... There was movement back in the brush. Young stuff, not mature forest, trees and shrubs and vines that had grown up in the last three or four years, on what had been pastures before. He couldn't see what was moving, couldn't even be sure he saw the branches twitching. Yes, he was sure. Something was hiding back there and watching them. Some one. Or more than one. "What do you see?" Tollisker asked. "Nothing I can identify," the old magician answered. "Just...something." After a moment, Tollisker signaled two of his men, who separated from their column of travel and began to swing outward. "It may be nothing more than a couple of deer," he muttered, "but we need to KNOW." Fandil grunted agreement. Adie said, "It might be a distraction." She was giving her attention to the other side of the road. The two scouts entered the heavier brush across the overgrown pasture. They could be glimpsed moving through out, here a helmet seen over the brush, there a reflection off a horse's glossy flank. "There should be birds flying out of that brush as the men move into it," Tolliser said. "There aren't any. Something has scared them away already." "We already knew that something was in there," Fandil said mildly. "The question--" The scouts came bursting out into the open, whirled their horses to stare back. The horses were dancing uneasily and trying to move toward the road. The two guardsmen controlled them and made an orderly retreat. When they were back to the road, one said to Tollisker, "It's wolves, sir. Big ones, about half a dozen." "They aren't doing anything," the other scout added, "just sitting there watching." Tollisker was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "So long as they aren't doing anything, neither will we." He signalled the group forward again. Fandil glanced at Adie. She shrugged. "Narsh Utur?" "Werewolves? I hope not," Fandil said. They must be as vulnerable to Khaldren's spoiling magic right now as the Aruaki are." "They were created differently...." "But still by magic. That may be, probably is, the most important thing, that they have magic in their blood." The old mage squinted at the trees as the party moved on along the road again. "We're not near Lyratilan, and...I somehow don't think those are werewolves in the trees. No way to be sure, of course." Adie made a sound that simply meant she'd heard him, without indicating what she thought about it. Captain Tollisker, riding on Fandil's other side, cleared his throat. "Ah...if I understand you correctly, werewolves would be as risky as werecats now? But true wolves...are not the escort I'd have asked for, either." "Rare in this part of the country, too," Fandil said affably. Point: They had a light rope laid out behind them, plenty of it coiled in Gissanniah's hands, to make sure of finding their way back out of the tunnels under the Ogre's Tomb. Old Doc Circ carried the lantern, and extra oil for it. Senator Sedalia carried his cane with the sword-blade exposed and ready for action. Master Cho had staff in hand, and a sword slung over his shoulder on a baldric. They had not been down here long...probably, hadn't paid out much rope, anyway, a hundred yards, a hundred and fifty. Not much. But it already felt as though they'd been here...forever. Time seemed meaningless. Distance and direction seemed meaningless. Gissanniah would not have been surprised (dismayed, yes, but not surprised) to find that the rope behind them was cut, or had come untied from its anchorage near the door, or...almost anything that rendered it useless. The feeling that she and her companions would never emerge from these tunnels was overwhelming. And it was so cold down here! Especially when they were standing still. All three of the men were bent over the map, comparing its markings with the junction they now faced. It wouldn't do any good. These tunnels under Point weren't on the map, only the ones the dwarves had made in Krael. THESE tunnels weren't marked. "This is the tunnel we want," Cho said, pointing to the one on the left. "There is no junction on this map," Sedalia countered. "I don't see why you pick that one, logic would indicate that the center tunnel, much broader and more..." he groped for words to describe the difference." "More civilized in appearance?" Circ said. "More suitable for a senator?" Sedalia ignored him pointedly. "How can you say that the MAP shows that...hole as being the right choice? A dwarf would do better work, anyway, so that can't be the right one!" Cho reached out to touch the wall of the debated passage, the rough stones and faint sheen of moisture. "This is dwarven work," he said, "and its angle of advance is the correct one. That wider way...I don't think it remains in this world at all for much farther, or it would come out again on the surface. The land slopes from Point to Krael, remember, and that tunnel runs flat." "True," Circ said, nodding. "Let us go this way, then." He stepped to the left, holding the lantern up to light the tunnel. "It does go downward." "It's infamous!" Ardane, spy reporter for Andorak, scowled and drew back his arm to throw his goblet through the window at the crowd outside. Then paused to drain the contents before resuming the about-to-throw-it position. "Now, now, it isn't THAT bad." Desiree of Darkholm, always the voice of sweet reason at these meetings, laid a hand on his, smiled, and guided the goblet back to the table. "It's just a little mistake, you know." "Ha!" Debby Tonte of Free Blades stabbed viciously into her drink with an umbrella. "That's easy for YOU to say. The Delarquans aren't complaining." "Of course not." Galen of Talahya looked faintly envious as she pulled a chunk of pineapple out of her glass and began to nibble it. "That's because the Delarquans are THE Masters of Kung-Fu." "You think some managers are complaining," Olaf Modeen said, "you should hear what the GLADIATORS are saying. All these rumors about the Aimed Blows having 'special enhancements'..." he shook his head. "I know it isn't true, you know it isn't true, the top managers know it isn't true--" "Of course it isn't true!" Ketchum, spy reporter for Crysalis, matched scowls with Ardane and said, "If ANY one style was going to get a special enhancement, it should be--" "Not now, Ketch," Olaf said. "Nobody gets, nobody has gotten, nobody WILL get, special enhancements. That's always been the rule, and we all know how the Greywand hates changes. The real problem--" "Try telling that to some of the managers," Debby muttered, peering into her glass for more fruit. "They don't want to hear it. Every time I turn around, some manager is claiming that someone got a special change and, you know, HE didn't and it's all unfair." "The REAL problem," Olaf said firmly, over-riding her voice, "is explaining to all the second-rate Aimed Blows why they haven't received any of these 'special enhancements' they keep hearing about." "There aren't any special enhancements," Ardane growled. "None. Just managers who noticed that the Kung-Fu Master is a lot more dangerous than anyone expected, and have put YEARS into the study of Kung-Fu and learned how to really USE it for their own gladiators." "Saved a lot on weapons, too," Ketchum murmured. "But people keep complaining," Debby Tonte said. She fished one last piece of fruit out of her glass and stared at it dubiously. "There WERE no special enhancements," Olaf said. "There ARE no special enhancements. There WILL BE no special enhancements. It's all a matter of deep study and skilled management." "Like anyone's going to believe that!" "They have no choice," Ketchum said. "If no 'special enhancements' were given out, then none can be taken back. It is the way it is. What's the point in complaining because the sun rises in the east?" DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. With the loss of my good friend, Lord Walton, to Gadget, it only seems fitting that I accept the honor of the Bloodfeud. I shall do so this turn. It is also fitting that if Gadget can fend off my advances and defeat me, he shall become Duelmaster. This shall be his opportunity. Health. Humility. Honor Lady Huntsman, Duelmistress III SPY REPORT It's me, The Unknown Spymaster, back to give you this week's Spy Report. Sit back in your seats and we'll have more fun than a barrel of Zontanis. Say good-bye to RED DOG GANG, as they are pushed from the coveted top team spot by the LENPROS stable. Hey everybody, watch out for MODBLYE, who flew up 17 points in the rankings after mashing DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL like a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. And falling like a basher in the top ten was IRISH CREAM, who dropped 14 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with KLINK. Unlike most arenas, LADY HUNTSMAN managed to get hers challenge off against the 10-7-1 GADGET. Well, everybody's pal LADY HUNTSMAN moved hers record to 25-9-0 by defeating GADGET in the Duelmaster's Title Bout and gaining 5 recognition points. Advice to bashers--never force anything, just get a bigger halberd! But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle! Did you hear that GAMEHENDGE was most avoided team this week? Well, knowing the personal hygiene of GAMEHENDGE's warriors, I'm not surprised! Okay, so I may not be funny, but catch LENPROS' act in the arena. Those acrobats seem to be fairly deft at running from GAMEHENDGE. And who is this BIGFOOTS you ask, with 98 points and a 18-44-0 record. Ooh, the tales I could tell! In a touching display by a 'touched' warrior, CARDINAL ARIZPE went after BIGFOOTS, who was higher by 24 points. Well, when the dust settled, CARDINAL ARIZPE bested BIGFOOTS. Remember that an arena is not always a safe place to be, but it is one of the most interesting, though! In the 'Oops, What Have I Done?' category, GADGET was mashed by LADY HUNTSMAN, who let GADGET know that killing members of LENPROS is a no-no. Knowing when to use the right tactics at the proper time is a very important step on the road to Duelmaster. Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in IAYE have no sense of humor. Or maybe that they were senseless. Well, there goes another Spy Report. Good luck in next week's fights. And remember, you can pick your friends and you can pick your--(loud boos), oh, you've heard that one already!-- The Unknown Spymaster DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LADY HUNTSMAN 4579 25 9 0 127 LENPROS (145) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME QUEEN CHINEE 4588 23 16 1 115 THE WARLOCKS (430) -STINGER 4098 9 11 0 104 RANDOM (391) BIGFOOTS 4512 18 44 0 98 RED DOG GANG (356) CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645 10 5 1 95 LENPROS (145) GADGET 4528 10 8 1 95 RESCUE RANGERS II (385) THE BOY KING 4615 13 8 1 91 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME POP IDOL 4617 12 9 0 89 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) DR TRINAIRE 4606 15 15 0 85 RED DOG GANG (356) PRINCESS DIANA 4614 11 10 1 85 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE 4584 17 22 1 74 THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431) DON FRANCIS 4619 5 3 0 72 LENPROS (145) -WINDY WIND 4593 11 17 0 71 CRYSTAL PALACE (435) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SLEEPS ALL DAY 4603 9 7 1 62 GAMEHENDGE (299) -ISPEP 4527 5 1 0 57 RANDOM (391) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME FENCE POST 4604 12 20 0 56 RED DOG GANG (356) -MOPT 4103 5 4 0 56 RANDOM (391) -MAPT 4100 7 7 0 52 RANDOM (391) KLINK 4647 8 8 0 49 THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME OUT OF TIME 4681 7 3 0 31 GAMEHENDGE (299) IRISH CREAM 4654 6 7 0 28 RED DOG GANG (356) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MODBLYE 4700 2 1 0 21 RAGGED EDGE (454) -CELL BLABBER 4616 3 3 0 19 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PRIVATE PERNA 4690 2 1 0 19 LENPROS (145) -FOGGY FOG 4688 4 3 1 16 CRYSTAL PALACE (435) -DALE II 4025 1 0 1 16 RESCUE RANGERS II (385) SERRIS 4697 2 1 0 11 RAGGED EDGE (454) -FRENCH VETO 4618 1 6 0 9 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) WARG 4701 2 1 0 7 RAGGED EDGE (454) DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL 4704 1 1 0 4 LENPROS (145) WINDSONG 4702 0 3 0 3 RED DOG GANG (356) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? ECK 4649 9 6 1 THE A'S -- LOSERS 431 CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645 546 LORD WALTON 4612 9 9 0 LENPROS 145 GADGET 4528 545 JUST REV AT 4521 4 7 0 RANDOM 391 PRINCESS DIANA 4614 545 RESETTIA STONE 4691 0 1 0 RED DOG GANG 356 FOGGY FOG 4688 543 REVENGED PERSONAL ADS Pop Idol -- It was fun, but the real Idol remained on top. -- Lady Huntsman The A's -- I did that! Mea culpa; mea culpa; mea maxima culpa. I have taken The Sacrament of Reconciliation and I shall await your retribution. May your gods bless the fallen Eck. -- Cardinal Arizpe Modblye -- That was quick. We didn't even make it to the ragged edge. -- Duke Of Whirlpool The Red Dog Gang -- Thank you for your condolences. We, too, shall miss Lord Walton. -- Lenpro The Scribe -- How well we know. Life's issues have a way of altering our schedules unmercifully. We look forward to the future episodes as time permits. -- Lenpro Fence Post -- Unpromising audiences?! A good priest and missionary can get the great message to any and any and all. I shall pray for guidance in communicating to even the least communicatible. -- Cardinal Arizpe Red Dog Gang -- Nice point total! And top current team! Salute. -- All Us Lenpros Health. Humility. Honor. May you all do well in the Tournament, doing Iaye proud. -- Lenpro The Boy King -- How can you be a decline, eh? Are you weak or wicked? Doesn't look like it. A little bookish, maybe, but that's okay if you don't overdo. I figure you'll be fine once you grow into your feet. -- Bigfoots P.S. Matching your feet is important. Earthquake Excuse -- They all say that, and they just aren't convincing. I mean, sure, earthquakes happen. Why, I've seen 'em and felt 'em myself! But what's wrong with natural reasons? I just don't get all this business about Atlantis and stuff. -- Dr Trinaire Sleeps All Day -- And a good job if you can get it. I'm inclined that way myself. In fact, you could call me a sort of master of the art. -- Fence Post, Skilled in Standing Still Out of Time -- Often. But I just ignore it and keep going at my own pace. Things work out. -- Irish Cream Warg -- (recoiling) I didn't know orcs came that big! Rather alarming, when you get right down to it. -- Windsong LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS LADY HUNTSMAN bested GADGET in a 3 minute master's Bloodfeud Title fight. CARDINAL ARIZPE savagely defeated BIGFOOTS in a 2 minute brutal Challenge melee. DON FRANCIS overpowered FENCE POST in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge duel. PRIVATE PERNA savagely defeated WARG in a 6 minute amateur's Challenge match. POP IDOL was overpowered by QUEEN CHINEE in a 1 minute one-sided struggle. DR TRINAIRE viciously subdued EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE in a 2 minute veteran's competition. PRINCESS DIANA vanquished M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute uneven duel. THE BOY KING overpowered KHALHUMS DWARF in a 2 minute uneven duel. IRISH CREAM was overpowered by KLINK in a 1 minute one-sided fight. SLEEPS ALL DAY handily defeated THE HONEST MERCHANT in a 1 minute one-sided bout. OUT OF TIME demolished FRATSFAN NOBLE in a unpopular 4 minute mismatched match. DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL was devastated by MODBLYE in a 1 minute one-sided battle. SERRIS narrowly defeated WINDSONG in a 3 minute amateur's conflict. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |LUNGING ATTACK 4 PARRY-STRIKE 7 - 3 - 1 70 | |TOTAL PARRY 4 TOTAL PARRY 26 - 16 - 0 62 | |AIMED BLOW 3 STRIKING ATTACK 9 - 7 - 0 56 | |WALL OF STEEL 3 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 11 - 1 54 | |BASHING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 21 - 18 - 1 54 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 PARRY-LUNGE 22 - 19 - 0 54 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 BASHING ATTACK 13 - 12 - 2 52 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 AIMED BLOW 18 - 20 - 0 47 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 8 - 10 - 0 44 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 25 - 39 - 0 39 | Turn 547 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 3 3 LUNGING ATTACK PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 1 TOTAL PARRY BASHING ATTACK 2 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 2 - 2 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME TOTAL PARRY LADY HUNTSMAN 4579 25 9 0 127 LENPROS (145) PARRY-STRIKE QUEEN CHINEE 4588 23 16 1 115 THE WARLOCKS (430) BASHING ATTACK CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645 10 5 1 95 LENPROS (145) WALL OF STEEL GADGET 4528 10 8 1 95 RESCUE RANGERS II (385) AIMED BLOW THE BOY KING 4615 13 8 1 91 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) LUNGING ATTACK POP IDOL 4617 12 9 0 89 WORLDLY DECLINE (445) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is QUEEN CHINEE 4588. The most popular warrior this turn was PRIVATE PERNA 4690. The ten other most popular fighters were GADGET 4528, DR TRINAIRE 4606, CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645, DON FRANCIS 4619, THE BOY KING 4615, QUEEN CHINEE 4588, MODBLYE 4700, WINDSONG 4702, KLINK 4647, and SLEEPS ALL DAY 4603. The least popular fighter this week was OUT OF TIME 4681. The other ten least popular fighters were IRISH CREAM 4654, POP IDOL 4617, WARG 4701, FENCE POST 4604, BIGFOOTS 4512, DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL 4704, PRINCESS DIANA 4614, EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE 4584, LADY HUNTSMAN 4579, and SERRIS 4697. NEW TEAMS IN THE TEMPORARY TOURNAMENT ARENAS (DM 81/83) Please note that all new teams created at the Face-to-Face were temporarily placed in a temporary Tournament Arena, DM 81 or DM 83. If you requested that your team be placed in a specific arena, it has already transferred to that arena. Any teams not transferred out of DM 81 and DM 83 by May 1 will be deleted. If you have questions about any of your teams, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI